It is pleasing to see that recent guest
writers have shown restraint and embraced the philosophy that "less is
more." I too shall be brief, in no small part, due to the fact that there
is so little good to report about the Blues. And if it is not
about me, why would I want to talk about your teams? A few tidbits of news
and notes:
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I recently traded with both Mitch (a
total of 3 e-mails...trade done) and Ted (47 e-mails, nine voice
mails, 62 total players discussed; just a tad-bit of whining and just
1 lecture on why I don’t know what I am doing). All in
all, not a bad experience. |
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Sometimes in a trade it is not a bad
idea to just pull the trigger. Case in point: Big Guy
makes a simple offer: Eric Gagne for Mark Prior. For
reasons unknown to mankind, I hesitated and waffled, thought and
thought and thought. Next start Prior leaves after 2
innings with a bad elbow. Trade dead. (Prior
has rebounded somewhat and trade talks did resume, but I had already
traded for Nathan.) |
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Speaking of Prior. As
you know Big Guy and I selected back to back in this year’s draft, I
one pick ahead. To both our amazement, Mark Prior and
Randy Johnson were available in our bottom positions of the first
round, Prior because he was hurt and Johnson presumably because he is
a little long in the tooth. After my usual agonizing, I
take Prior; Big Guy, Johnson. I know he would have taken
Prior, if I had taken Johnson. As of this writing Johnson
has 531 points, Prior 109, a swing of 422 points. You
don’t think that would have made a difference in the standings? Just
one simple little pick. |
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In the "Paddle your Own Canoe" Dept.
I am so very much looking forward to the San Diego trip. I
have already been robbed out of one vacation this summer, so I am
primed for this little trip. I am most enthused by the
turn-out. And as we lament the absence of the league’s
funniest member (No not Denny, the other one) we must fondly and yet,
quizzically, remember the harangue laid upon Johnny by Mr.
Hurlbut one hot Chicago eve, many years ago. How amazing
life is.....did any of us at the time even suspect that it would be
Bobby without a paddle, no longer the Master & Commander of his ship? |
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Just finished the Ted Williams
biography by Leigh Montville. I have never been a big
Williams fan, but I truly enjoyed the book. He was an
amazing person, but the book also exposes many of his flaws.
Last summer I read a Joe DiMaggio biography and it is no contest, that
Williams, with all his problems, comes out ahead. DiMaggio
comes off as an anti-social, money grubbing prick.
Williams, according to the book, didn’t obsess about money, just
wasn’t good in his marriage and family relationships.
However, he was great to his friends and he had a lot of them.
DiMaggio just cared about getting paid for everything and had few true
friends. Actually the guy who comes off the best, if you
add in the Halberstam book: "The Teammates," is Dom DiMaggio.
I never realized what a good player he was and he had great personal
and financial success after baseball. |
TRIVIA
You know I am out of material when I resort to trivia questions, but
here are a couple, which have some slight relevance to the League and the
Trip.
For those of you who have roomed with me on prior trips:
Hall of Famer Rube Waddell and his catcher, Ossee Schreckengost,
were roommates when the Philadelphia Athletics went on the road.
In 1904 Schreckengost refused to re-sign with the A’s unless a certain
clause was inserted in both his and Waddell’s contracts.
What was the clause?
For you Omahans:
Who was the last pitcher to steal 5 or more bases in a season?
To remember League stars of the past:
Who stole the most bases in the 1990's?
Four players in history have had 30 plus homers and hitting streaks
of 30 or more in the same season. Two are active players,
name them.
Who was the first player in major league history to bat in 1000
games as a DH and play 1000 games at another position?
Which player was the leading RBI man of the 1980's?
What second place team finished the most games behind the division
winner?
Who pitched in the 1981 Little League World Series, but did not
make his professional pitching debut until the 2000 season?
That should be more than enough. Answers to be given in San
Diego. Ernie, I forgot to write down the weeks’ totals
and I could find the top hitters and pitchers nowhere on my computer.
Sue me. Best wishes to all. See you in
San Diego.
McBlunder |
SKIP'S BLIPS
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Nice work from
McBlunder in his 7th Inning Stretch. Timely, pithy, self-deprecating,
mournful, all vintage McBlunder traits. Well done, Elongated One, well done. |
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I see that Griffey
is out for the season, again. Now that’s a big surprise. |
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I’m still thoroughly
chapped about Magpie bailing out his bosom buddy Possum by single-handedly
levitating him out of the fleabag motel bed that Possum made for himself. If
this wasn’t out-and-out collusion, or a transparent payback for Possum’s
favors past and present, then it was an act of utter stupidity. Why else
would Curbie give such value for Possum’s cap-busting trio of Dunn, Valentin
and Teixana? When Itchie takes The Cup to the engravers, I heartily
recommend that he have the name "Pos-Pie" or "Trick-Sum" ensconced onto our
beloved trophy. FOUL, I say! |
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You may have seen on
the news this week or read in the paper about Mike Wallace getting arrested
in New York for "lunging" at a police officer who was trying to inspect a
meatloaf that Wallace had reportedly taken out of a restaurant. Hmm. If
somebody was involved smuggling a meatloaf out of a restaurant, or lunging
at the constabulary to protect said meatloaf, I’m almost sure that Shamu*
must have somehow been involved. We’ll have to check on Sir Charles’ alibi
for that evening. |
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I read that Weird Al
Yankovic is playing the Lied Center in Lincoln later this month. I guess we
now know why Underbelly isn’t making the trip to San Diego with us next
week. He loved him in Branson, so why wouldn’t U-Bob go to see Weird Al in
his own backyard? |
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I’m not whining, no,
I’m not, but my Senators pitching staff continues to pace the league
in team ERA, but is still collectively hovering around the .500 won-loss
percentage. Is there no justice? |
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If there was
justice, then my 2nd and 4th round draft picks, Roy Halladay and Billy
Wagner, would be healthy, pitching, and leading my deserving Senators
team to another title. |
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IN CLOSING
But enough about
me and my problems. Good luck to all in the Fourth Quarter of the season, and
see you in San Diego.
Skipper
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